In 1836 the miller Jakob Beerli built a canal with a dam in order to bring the water of the Reuss to the millwheel in a more regulated manner.

Two horse-drawn carts had to travel back and forth between Ottenbach and Affoltern am Albis railway station to bring the required amount of coal.

In 1977, the canton of Zurich purchased the adjacent nature reserve of Bibelaas, including the small power station, canal and dam, as a measure to protect the banks of the Reuss.

The complex transmission system with large wheels and leather belts reminds us of the time before 1920 and, conversely, electricity could be drawn from the grid when the turbine was at a standstill.

Built in 1920 by Brown, Boveri & Cie, the three-phase synchronous generator with attached exciter machine has an output of 62 kW.

Once the turbine has been started up with the handwheel, the oil pressure with the centrifugal governor ensures that the desired number of revolutions is constantly maintained.

The Art Deco-style switching wall with electromechanical measuring devices from Trüb, Fierz & Co. was used to control the lighting in the rooms hosting the looms.

The direct current required for this was generated with a dynamo that is no longer available today and stored in an accumulator battery consisting of 150 glasses each filled with 100 litres of sulphuric acid.

A worm gear is used to move a rack attached to the latch in order to lift or lower the wooden panels of the gate, consisting of several boards in their lateral guide rails.

[2] Founded in 2013, the association is responsible for regular operation, ongoing maintenance work and flood protection on behalf of the Canton of Zurich's preservation of historical monuments.